Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Academic Practice Accelerator · 2026-11-01

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

In many countries, people do not recycle their rubbish as much as they could.

Why do you think this is? What can be done to change this?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Student answer (Band 5.5)

In today's world, waste management has become a major environmental concern. Although recycling plays crucial role in reducing pollution and protecting the nature, many people fail to recycle their household waste. This essay will discuss that how we can change this issue.

To begin with, many people do not recycle the garbage because they are not aware about it, there lack of environment education so they never knows that by not recycling the process we are harming to our nature. Another reason for it is that there is lack of facility in our county. Dustbins are not available in public places, people find it difficult to separate different types of waste. In our country there are many lazy people and busy lifestyle individuals who cannot recycle the waste and they feel that it is a time consuming process. For instance, many people do not recycle plastic bottles because of lack of awareness.

On the other hand, best solution for this concern is to promote people for CLEAN INDIA MISSION it is a nationwide cleanliness campaign launched by the government of India. Like this only authority have to arrange seminars, campaign and posters by which citizens can be aware of it. Policymakers should provide better facilities: separate bins- for throwing garbage, Also, administration should introduce strict rules and rewards. Fines for the people who are not obeying the rules and rewards to the individuals who recycle the waste regularly and do promote everyone.

To conclude, there is very much lack of environment education people are not aware that by not doing the process they are harming themselves. So, the strict rules can be made by the governing bodies.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address both parts of the question: you identify causes such as limited environmental education, inadequate recycling facilities, and people’s busy routines, then suggest awareness campaigns, separate bins, rules, and rewards. The reference to India’s cleanliness campaign also gives the response a relevant example. However, some points are asserted rather than explained. For instance, the claim that people are “lazy” is broad, and the plastic-bottle example repeats the lack-of-awareness point without showing its effects. The proposed fines and rewards could be developed by explaining how they would encourage regular recycling. Your conclusion mainly repeats the education and enforcement ideas, so it does not fully draw together the range of causes and solutions.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, a paragraph on causes, a paragraph on solutions, and a conclusion. Signposts such as “To begin with,” “On the other hand,” and “To conclude” help readers follow the main stages. Within paragraphs, however, ideas are sometimes joined mechanically or placed together without a clear relationship. The causes paragraph moves from awareness to facilities, then to laziness and busy lifestyles, with limited explanation linking these points. The solutions paragraph also combines campaigns, bins, fines, and rewards in a long sequence. Use clearer topic sentences and develop each main point before moving to the next; check that references such as “Like this” clearly identify the idea they refer to.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant topic vocabulary, including “recycling,” “household waste,” “environmental concern,” “separate bins,” and “strict rules,” so the main ideas are generally clear. There are also attempts at more formal expressions, such as “Policymakers” and “nationwide cleanliness campaign.” However, several word choices and collocations are unnatural or imprecise, including “aware about it,” “promote people for,” and “lack of environment education.” Repetition of “people,” “waste,” and “recycle” also limits flexibility. Choose more natural phrases and vary vocabulary where the meaning allows—for example, refer to “residents,” “household rubbish,” or “recycling habits.” This would make the argument sound more precise and fluent.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and complex sentences, including a subordinate clause beginning “Although” and a relative clause in “individuals who cannot recycle the waste.” This shows some range, but control is uneven, and errors sometimes make sentences difficult to follow. Examples include “recycling plays crucial role,” “there lack of environment education,” and “they never knows,” which show problems with articles, sentence structure, and subject–verb agreement. The sentence beginning “Policymakers should provide better facilities” also runs into the next idea with unclear punctuation. Practise checking each sentence for a clear subject and verb, correct agreement, and complete clause structure. Breaking longer sentences into shorter units would help you express the ideas more accurately.

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